Careful With Those Stun Guns

Our Towns

West Hartford

October 06, 2005

Despite the manufacturer's claim that stun guns, which go by the brand name Taser, are a safe way for police to subdue people, West Hartford officials were right to double the training time recommended for proper use of the device as they move to equip the entire force.

When fired from distance of 21 feet or less, Tasers are supposed to administer 50,000 volts of electric shock, disabling a suspect's neuromuscular system and causing that person to lose control of his or her body functions for about five seconds. While suspects are temporarily stunned, police are able to safely approach them and take them into custody.

Tasers have been known, however, to contribute to the deaths of people with severe medical conditions that would be unknown to a police officer.

In one celebrated case five years ago, a Connecticut inmate who was zapped three times by guards at the Wallens Ridge State Prison in Virginia died of heart failure shortly thereafter.

Amnesty International, which has called for a ban on the devices, recently compiled a list of more than 100 people who died after being shocked in scuffles with police.

Nevertheless, a valid case can be made that, when used properly in place of a firearm, a nightstick or a dog, Tasers can reduce the chance of serious injury to officers and those they are taking into custody.

Taser guns, made by a company based in Scottsdale, Ariz., are now possessed by more than 7,300 law enforcement agencies, prisons and military installations around the world, along with about 100,000 private owners.

West Hartford's police department has 18 of the $800 Tasers for use by special units. The department is planning eventually to equip its entire force with the devices. It is encouraging to see that the town is going out of its way to make certain that training in these weapons is thorough.